Amusement apparatus.



No. 798,392. PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

A. GOBLEY & W. H. OAVANAGH.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8- 1904 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E ;\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\YIALQHI\\\\\\\\ 5 6 10 12 WITNESSES: INVENTORS ATTORNEY No. 798,892. PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905. A. GOBLBY 8;: W. H. (MUTANAGH. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.B.1904.

2 SH1JETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTURS ATTORNEY.

.wciiw u Gil-NAMCO www.muchmruzns. msumovon ma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED COBLEY AND WILLIAM H. OAVANAGH, OF VAILSBURG, NEWV JERSEY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

Application filed. August 8, 1904:. Serial No. 219,846.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALFRED CoBLEY and WILLIAM H. OAVANAGH, citizens of the United States, residing at Vailsburg, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to secure anew movement of seats in a merry-go-round, and thereby produce a novel and pleasurable sensation to the rider, to secure a simple structure and one that can be operated with alimited expenditure of power, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved merry-go-round and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a'vertical section ofour improved construction. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line on, and Fig. 3 is asectional view taken at line 2 of Fig. 1.

In said drawings, 5 indicates a suitable bed or frame having an annular track or way 6, upon which the wheels 7 of a rotary platform 8 are arranged. At the center of said frame is a fixed cog or gear wheel 9 and a vertical passage or opening 10 for a power-shaft 11. The said gear-wheel 9, resting down upon said bed or frame, pr'ovides suitable bearings therefor, as indicated in Fig. 1. The said powershaft 11 receives its power preferably underneath the said frame by means of a sprocketwheel, clutch, or other form of pulley (not shown) in any suitable manner. The said power-shaft 11 is provided with collars 12, fixed upon said shaft adjustably or otherwise, the said collars forming shoulders and being annularly grooved to provide runways for balls 13. The cog or gear wheel 9 is provided with a hub 14, also provided with runways for the said balls and taking the weight of the platform 8, power-shaft 11, and their connections. At one side of said platform 8 or eccentric to the axis of said platform are bearings 80 for an inclined carriage-shaft 15. Said shaft 15 extends downward through said platform and at its lower end is provided with a pinion 16, which engages the cogs of the fixed cog-wheel 9. Above the platform 8 said inclined shaft is preferably provided with a large ball 16, of which said shaft 15 forms the poles. At the meridian of said ball is an annular'platform 17. The said ball serves as a screen, preventing a person sitting at one side of the annular platform from seeing those on the opposite side. The globe may be painted in imitation of the natural divisions of land and water found on the earth, or it may be otherwise decorated. On said annular platform 17 is a series of seats 18, on which the rider may be comfortably seated while the carriage is in operation, and at the periphery of the carriage or at the outer edge of the platform on its upper side is preferably a railing 19, by means of which those on the platform are prevented from falling therefrom during the operation ofsaid carriage.

The inclination of the axis 15 of the carriage is such as to bring the carriage-platform 17 within an easy step of the platform 8, so that the carriage may be entered from said platform 8 with convenience, the railing 19 being provided with an opening 191, as shown in Fig. 3, permitting such entrance to said carriage-platform.

At the top of the frame 5 the inclined axial shaft 15 is provided with a suspensory ball 20, which bears upon small balls 21 in a runway 22, formed on or secured to the top board 23 of said frame 5. The frame 5 is provided with suitable braces 24:, standards 25, and standards 26, wherebysaid frame will be rigid and strong and secure an easy and smooth movement to the carriage.

In operating the device, power being applied to the rotary power-shaft 11, the said shaft and its platform 8 are caused to rotate, the latter in a horizontal plane. This movement, because of the suspended shaft 15 extending through the platform 8 at a point eccentric to its axis and because of the fixed cog 9 being engaged by the pinion of the intime to rotate, thereby causing the platform 17 to revolve in a constantly-changing inclined plane about the axis 15. The seats on said platform 17 are thus caused to revolve in a great circle about the axis Hand in smaller circles about the axis 15, and in taking such a course said seats rise and fall from and toward the horizontal platform 8, the rising movements being quite rapid as compared to the movement in the great circle, thus producing a novel sensation, which is quite exciting to one unfamiliar with such a mode of riding.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new is 1. The improved merry-go-round herein described comprising a frame, a platform rotating on said frame, in a horizontal plane, a

fixed cog-wheel, means for rotating said horizontal platform, an inclined shaft extending through said platform at its lower end having a pinion engaging said fixed cog-wheel, and a platform fixed to said inclined shaft and having seats or receptacles for the riders, substantially as set forth.

2. In a merry-go-round, the combination of a frame, having a runway at the top thereof with shaft-supporting balls thereon, an inclined shaft extending above said runway and having a ball which rests on said balls of the runway, the said shaft being suspended at its upper end by means of said balls, and at its lower end being free to describe a great circle, means for rotating the suspended shaft on its axis while describing at its lower end the great circle, means for moving-the lower end in said great circle, and means carried by said shaft for seating the riders on said merry-goround, substantially as set forth.

3. In a merry-goround, the combination of a frame, having a runway at the top thereof with shaft-supporting balls thereon, an inclined shaft extending above said runway and having a ball which rests on said balls of the runway, the said shaft being suspended at its upper end by means of said balls and at its lower end being free to describe a great cir- 'i'easea cle, a rotary platform at the lower part of the frame, the said inclined shaft extending through said platform and having bearings thereon to engage the rotary platform to effect a movement thereof, as the said platform ro.

tates on its axis, in a great circle, means for supporting the rotary platform, means for rotating the same, and means carried by said shaft for seating the riders on said merry-goround, substantially as set forth.

.4. The improved merry-go-round, comprising a frame having a cog-wheel fixed to the lower part thereof, a rotary platform lying at a horizontal plane above said cog-wheel, a shaft held by said frame at its upper end and engaging said horizontal platform at its lower end at a point distant from the axis of the said horizontal rotary platform, and at its lower end having a pinion engaging said fixed cog-wheel, and a platform carried by said shaft to receive passengers, substantially as set forth.

5. The improved merry-go-round comprising a frame having a cog-wheel fixed to the lower part thereof and having a central passage therethrough, a rotary platform lying at a horizontal plane above said fixed cog-wheel and having an axial shaft extending downward through the passage in said fixed cogwheel, and having at a point distant from said axial shaft a passage and bearings for an inclined shaft, an inclined shaft held at its upper end by said frame and engaging said horizontal platform at its bearings distant from its axis, said inclined shaft having at its lower end a pinion engaging the cog-wheel, and an annular platform secured to and moving with the inclined shaft and having a series of seats thereon, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 27th day of July, 1904.

ALFRED COBLEY. WILLIAM H. OAVANAGH. Witnesses:

M. V. DOYLE, RALPH LANCASTER. 

